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Roman Temples

Roman temples are another major attraction in the capital city of Italy. Some of the Roman temples that are most significant in the history of Rome, including the Roman Forum Temple of Saturn, the Temple of Jupiter Stator, and the Temple of Castor and Pollux, are all located within the Roman Forum, easily one of the most popular attractions in the whole city. If you already have plans to visit the Forum, you will be able to see some of the Roman temples mentioned above along with other such as the Temple of the Vestals, monuments, and public buildings.

The Romans had many temples to worship their Pagan gods. The Temple of Jupiter was used to worship the Roman equivalent of Greek's Zeus, king of the gods and grandfather to Rome's founders, Remus and Romulus. The Temple of Mars was the place to implore the God of War for victory on the battlefield, and ancient Romans worshiped at the Temple of Apollo to discern predictions and prophecies of the future. Many key temples that are still around today are located in the Roman Forum or even in private homes on the Palatine Hill where Roman's often had private places of worship.

The ancient Roman temple ruins that can be found within the modern city of Rome today hearken back to a time when Roman Paganism was the order of the day, centuries before Constantine and the early Christians brought another brand of religion to the table. It would only be a matter of years after this happened that the one-time Roman Empire was plunged into the dark ages and sacked. Many believe that the ushering in of Christianity and the concomitant discouragement of free thinking led to this demise. One can only imagine the progress that would have been made and the strides that could have been taken for humanity if the switch from Paganism to Christianity had not brought along with it such myopic views, fear-based doctrine, and power hungry leaders.

Places like the Roman Forum Temple of Saturn were used by Roman Pagans to perform various rites and ceremonies, usually that involved an animal sacrifice. More often than not this part of the ceremony would be conducted outside so as to make the whole affair easier to clean up. The Roman temples did not tend to be too large and served the practical purpose of being the meeting place for offering sacrifices to the pagan gods. Ancient Roman temple ruins tell the story of the ancient Romans who would gather to pray to gods such as Jupiter, Neptune, Apollo, and Cupid.

The Roman Forum Temple of Saturn is located on the west end of the Forum. It is an monument to Saturn, the agricultural god of the ancient Romans. All that remains of what was once a massive temple is the columns and various bits of the front portico and the pediment. It is still a hugely popular attraction within the confines of an even more popular attraction, the Roman Forum.

If you are making plans to visit Rome, you should consider traveling around to the various ancient Roman temple ruins. These are some of the most ancient and historically significant vestiges of the time when Rome was the preeminent empire in the world.

When you visit Rome, you will have many kinds of sites at your disposal to explore, a vast collection of galleries, museums, churches, and ancient Roman temple ruins. It could take months on end to visit all of the popular sights, so it is worth it to take some time in advance of your trip to prioritize what it is you absolutely do not want to miss. For many people, attractions like the Forum, Pantheon, and Colosseum are all a foregone conclusion.